1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-forming apparatus in which programs for controlling operations in the apparatus are installed, a method of controlling the same, and a control program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, as mechanisms for counting the total output numbers (e.g., the total cumulative number of pages printed) of image-forming apparatuses, hard counters having mechanical structures have been generally used. With the hard counters, it is difficult to change the count, e.g., reduce it after the count-up is carried out. Thus, the hard counters are means suitable for use in service accounting systems due to the above-described feasibilities thereof. On the other hand, the functions of image forming apparatuses have been complicated. Accordingly, there has been increasing demanded for the service accounting system to be divided depending on the intended use, e.g., “small-size”/“large-size”, “color”/“black and white”, and “copy/print/FAX”. To satisfy this demand, simply, the number of hard counters has been increased. Moreover, it has been proposed that soft counters can realize a large number of counters at a reduced cost with small spaces (A “soft counter” is one that stores a count value in a semiconductor memory.).
Regarding prior art soft counters, information in a memory is ready to be lost, and the reliability is low. Thus, a plurality of memory units are prepared, and the same values are stored in the memory units. If internal information in a memory is lost, the information is compensated by use of the information stored in another of the memory units. Thereby, the reliability is enhanced. Soft counters can be prepared for each function to be counted, so that correct count information can be maintained for each function. Hereinafter, in the specification, the soft counter is referred to as a “counter”, for brevity. In the present invention, “counter” is the general term for a means which can count and store different kinds of use amounts such as the execution numbers of programs in printers, facsimiles, scanners, copying machines, or composite machines of several of these sets of capabilities which are typical examples of image forming apparatus, the operation number of the apparatus, the use durations of application programs, and so forth.
A printing machine in which a counter is provided for each of different programs installed in an image forming apparatus is under development. Moreover, a printing machine has been developed in which a user can use different services by execution of the different programs installed in the printer. For example, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-92779, software techniques for image forming apparatuses have been increased, and different types of software which realize operations in the image forming apparatus can be more easily added, altered, deleted, and so forth. Furthermore, a printer in which a counter is fixedly provided for each application to count the execution number of the application is under investigation.